Birgit's Travelscout report from the ROBINSON SARIGERME PARK

Our Travelscout trips are always highly sought after , as they take our TennisTraveller to simply wonderful tennis locations. For a very special tennis destination, the ROBINSON SARIGERME PARK, we were looking for a Travelscout in September. The lucky winner not only got to enjoy a week's club holiday, but also a tennis camp with Nicolas Kiefer, ROBINSON brand ambassador and top tennis expert . Among the many, many applicants, Birgit from Ismaning was the lucky winner. Together with her daughter, she spontaneously used the Bavarian autumn holidays at the beginning of November for a mother-daughter Travelscout trip.
about Birgit and her daughter's experience of the tennis week at the ROBINSON SARIGERME PARK and the tennis camp with Kiwi in Birgit's wonderful Travelscout report . It's very detailed and includes beautiful photos.

Birgit's travel report - let's go!

"After the last two planned tennis camps in Turkey had to be cancelled due to Covid-19 during the Easter holidays, the anticipation for the camp during the autumn holidays was all the greater. For us, it was our first trip to the Mediterranean since summer 2019. The first week of November marks the last days of the season in which the Robinson Club is open. Of the 600 beds, only 190 were occupied. So it was really nice and relaxed, and at times almost "empty," on the spacious club grounds. Unfortunately, the last week of the season is often one in which the weather changes. Therefore, we had three days of rain during the week. However, we were then treated to sunshine for the last three days. During the day, it was a pleasant 23-24 degrees Celsius. In the evenings, you had to put on a jacket. The outdoor pool was already too cold for leisurely swimming (17 degrees Celsius) – unless you were swimming laps quickly. The sea, on the other hand, was still 21 degrees Celsius and was therefore the more popular place for a refreshing dip.".

On the first evening, after dinner at 9:30 pm, there was a welcome cocktail reception with all camp participants at the hotel bar. The three coaches, Nicolas, Jens, and Tim, introduced themselves and presented the schedule for the next few days. A total of 18 participants had registered for the camp; the ratio of men to women was relatively balanced, and most were over 40 years old.

Saturday morning meant an early start: We met at the tennis courts at 9 a.m. to divide the participants into groups based on their individual skill levels. Contrary to the weather forecast, which had predicted rain, it was thankfully only cloudy but dry. The three coaches each sent four players to a court and observed their groundstrokes. After half an hour, we were to start practicing rallies with serves. After just under an hour, we were divided into six groups of three. The first three groups started immediately with a 1.5-hour camp session, while the other three groups had a break. Before we parted ways, each participant received a Robinson Tennis Camp T-shirt from K-Swiss. This provided ample opportunity for the hotel photographer to take an official group photo.

The camp was structured so that participants trained for 30 minutes with one coach before switching to the next, ensuring a session with Nicolas, Jens, and Tim each day. The first day focused on groundstrokes, specifically forehand and backhand. The sessions were varied and challenging, so despite the less-than-summery temperatures, everyone worked up a good sweat. The 1.5 hours flew by thanks to the frequent coaching changes.

In the following days, there was always an "early group" that trained from 9:00 to 10:30 a.m., while the "late group" was allowed to sleep in and start at 10:45 a.m. The focus on the second day was on volleys and smashes. The third day was supposed to be dedicated to practicing serves and aiming. However, Monday was completely rained out, so playing tennis was out of the question until early afternoon. The only thing you could have done on the courts was swim laps.

Fortunately, the rain stopped around midday. By 4 pm, the courts were reasonably playable again, allowing both groups to continue until dinner. Instead of serving, we practiced "transition"—that is, the transition from the groundstroke to the attacking shot, all the way to winning the point at the net.

Tuesday was a rest day – so no tennis camp. On Wednesday, as planned, the focus was on serving and returning. In the afternoon, participants could take part in a tennis tournament organized by the Robinson Club for all tennis enthusiasts at the facility. Thursday was the last day of camp. Together with the coaches, doubles matches were played in the "Bundesliga" format. In some clubs, this might be better known as "court king" 😉 The three coaches had devised the doubles pairings.

On the final evening, a farewell dinner was held for all participants. During the aperitif at the hotel bar, everyone received a group photo, autographed by the three coaches, as a parting gift. 

In summary, I would rate the camp as follows:

The training sessions were mostly engaging and varied. The most important topics were covered. At the age of the camp participants, you certainly don't expect a complete technical overhaul – but important details were definitely improved. Jens definitely had the strongest "entertainer" spirit – he was the one who moderated the entire camp and also the one who spread the most fun on the court. He always had a funny remark ready – and still managed to impart a lot of useful tennis knowledge. Nicolas was the coach who was most effective at improving technique. And Tim was the strongest "athletic" coach, the one who made you run the most 😉

Starting training at 9 a.m. was quite a workout… Personally, I always find it annoying to have to set an alarm on vacation. You simply don't go to bed before midnight on a club holiday like this – so starting training at 9:30 or 10 a.m. would be much more relaxing. At this time of year, you don't have to expect the sweltering summer temperatures that would make tennis training around midday too strenuous.

The Robinson Club Sarigerme Park is beautifully situated right on the seafront with a fantastic range of water sports. Anyone who enjoys sailing and surfing will be in their element here. The water sports team was incredibly dedicated and friendly. After our surfing lesson, they invited us for a ride on their motorboat and took us on a short trip around the nearby islands.

The club also offers a wide range of fitness activities, including yoga, cycling, and kickboxing. However, due to Covid restrictions, the number of participants per class was so limited that classes were usually fully booked within seconds of being opened. You really had to be lucky to get a spot.

The only other noticeable effects of the Covid restrictions were at mealtimes: masks were required in the restaurant, and there was no self-service at the buffet. However, for the past week, guests have been allowed to dance outdoors on the dance floor in the evenings – and they took full advantage of this. When the DJ turned off the music at midnight, there was always a great deal of disappointment 😉 For further entertainment, there was a show in the theater every evening at 9:45 pm. All the hotel staff were extremely friendly and welcoming. The hotel manager was very present and regularly interacted with the guests.

Weather-wise, it would be great if the camp took place 3-4 weeks earlier. Then we'd have guaranteed good weather, warm enough pool temperatures for swimming, and wouldn't need a down jacket in the evenings. Otherwise, I had a fantastic week, met some incredibly nice people, and thoroughly enjoyed sipping a glass of rosé on the beach, watching the sunset without a care in the world, and without thinking about the renewed COVID restrictions back home. I'll be looking at the photos a lot in the coming days and fondly remembering that wonderful holiday

Interested in a tennis holiday at ROBINSON SARIGERME PARK?